“To know thyself is the beginning of wisdom.”
Socrates
Ray Bradbury
“First, find out what your hero wants, then just follow him.”
The word zodiac derives from zōdiacus, meaning “cycle or circle of little animals”. So let’s make a circle of little animals for Steven Reiss’ 16 desires!
My guess is that one of these desires will describe more than half of what you want. Three of them combined will describe almost everything you want. Seeing your desires clearly laid out in front of you might be like looking in a mirror.
Honor, the Dog (Integrity, Loyalty, Trust, Tradition). Man’s best and most loyal friend. Dogs accompany, hunt, herd, assist, and guard for their masters. There are K-9 units embedded with the military and police because they trust their dogs. There are guard dogs that protect, therapy dogs that console, and guide dogs who see for the blind. While scientists debate whether dogs really feel shame for their misdeeds, dogs know how to look ashamed. And as for loyalty, some dogs mourn the loss of their owners for the rest of their lives. If nothing tops loyalty, trust, and integrity, wag your tail.
Romance, the Peacock (Beauty, Art, Attraction). Nature’s art gallery. Peacocks are beautiful, and they love to share it. They show their feathers off to anyone who will behold them. It’s not just the color of the feathers; it is the dance, the song, and the presentation to ensure everyone sees. Someone who wants romance wants it everywhere, so like the peacock, they may as well bring the art with them. If you search the world for beauty or create art, you may have glorious tail feathers.
Family, the Elephant (Nurturing, raising offspring). Baby elephants gestate for 22 months, or more than twice as long as humans. Elephant mothers then nurse their young for 4-6 years, as the baby grows into a giant. When predators arrive, elephants rush to surround and protect their children. And elephants stay with their mothers for 16 years until they fully mature, learning which plants to eat, which watering holes to visit, and how to socialize with other elephants. While we are talking about elephant mothers, it does not limit the desire for family to women. If you want to nurture and think about it constantly, you might have a trunk.
Social Contact, the Dolphin (Friendship, Companions, Group play). Dolphins are highly social animals and love to play. They will swim along with boats and humans, laughing all the while. A pod of dolphins stays in constant communication, and while usually dolphin pods number a dozen individuals, a super-pod of dolphins can have more than a thousand. Once thought to remain in their pod throughout their life, it now seems dolphins may hang with other pods from time to time. If playing with a pod of friends and companions is its own reward, you might have a dolphin fin.
Acceptance, the Horse (Attention, Approval, Inclusion). Horses can get along with many other animals, as long as it is not dangerous predators or snakes. Horses can perform in front of a large crowd, plow a family field, walk their drunken riders home, or join a parade, basking in the attention. They love being accepted into a herd, whatever its composition may be. Our world history rides on the back of horses and their willingness to join their riders and colleagues on whatever missions they undertake. If you work hard for attention and approval, you might have a horse’s tail and mane.
Social Status, the Fox (Exclusivity, Connection, Reputation). There is a cunning streak in understanding social queues, pecking orders, and climbing the social ladder. Foxes can get in just about anywhere, and good luck following them. To get rid of a fox, hunters need a pack of dogs and a team of men with guns, and even then, it is tough going. You don’t know how savvy a fox is or how deep its network and reputation go. If your network is vast and powerful, and you are interested in the most exclusive connections, look for a fox tail.
Power, the Lion (Domination, Control, Authority). A classic symbol of kings and leaders going all the way back, at least to the ancient Assyrians, who viewed hunting lions as the sport of kings to protect their people. If even kings and empires saw lions as rivals and a threat, it only shows lions’ power. The lion is the king of beasts, and many royal coats of arms throughout Europe still feature the lion prominently as a symbol of their power and Sri Lanka put one on their national flag. Don’t let cuddly documentary footage fool you. Lions have ruled for most of human history. If power is its own reward, you might have a lion’s mane and claws.
Independence, the Eagle (Freedom, Self Reliance, Determination). What greater freedom could there be than flying above everything with no one to stop you? Eagles sit at the top of the food chain, with no natural predators, and prefer to be alone most of the time. With sharp vision and a different view above the earth, they see a different world than the rest of us stuck on the ground. Once they take flight, no one can bring them back. If you value personal freedom, self-reliance, and make sure no one can control you, check for eagle feathers.
Tranquility, the Turtle (Preparation, Comfort, Calm, Stress Tolerance). The stalwart turtle, born with and hard shell to protect itself. They have all the comfort of home with them at all times, because they carry a house on their back. Things may get bad, but they’ll be alright. They can get through this. There’s no need to panic. If your most prized possession is your comfy clothes and you can mysteriously handle situations that make others run in panic, you might have a turtle’s shell.
Saving, the Squirrel (Collecting, Preserving, Valuing). Squirrels are famous for their habit of storing nuts and other food for the winter. Squirreling away something means putting it in a safe or secret place, especially for future use. And looking through the collection can be just as fun as putting it together. If you ever say, “I need this for my collection,” or want to save things “just in case” you might have a collection of acorns and a squirrel’s tail.
Eating, the Truffle Hog (Food, thinking about food, and planning meals). Everyone has to eat. It’s part of life. But if you don’t enjoy it, what’s the point? A Truffle Hog uses its excellent sense of smell to find the rarest and most desirable foods in the world. For their weight, truffles are the most expensive food too. That is a lot of effort for food. Why not just eat something else? Because food is the reward! Truffle Hogs love to eat the truffles too, which is why some hunters replace them with truffle hounds. If you love eating, planning future meals, and just thinking about food, you might have the fine taste of a gourmand Truffle Hog and a snout to find the best food out there.
Physical Activity, the Monkey (Exercise, Active, Moving). Monkeys run and jump through the trees with ease. Their normal day of just moving around puts professional gymnasts to shame. Monkeying around means doing things that are not useful or serious. But that is just how others view it. To a monkey, the activity is the prize. If movement is life, you might have a monkey tail.
Vengeance, the Scorpion (Compete, Retaliate, Defeat, come from behind). No matter how big and strong you are, a scorpion can hurt you. Its stinger is always a threat, and a scorpion might look for a reason to sting you. It might seem like nothing to you, or you may not have noticed the scorpion, but in the words of Michael Jordan, “And I took that personally.” Scorpions have been a symbol for death and power since at least the time of ancient Egypt when a scorpion went to kill the sun. If you have a list of people to retaliate against, compete to defeat, or find coming from behind the most motivating thing in the world, you probably have a tail stinger.
Idealism, the Beaver (Belief, Sacrifice, Justice, and making things right). Beavers are renowned for their ability to build dams. They are one of the few animals that can actively change their environment by blocking rivers and streams with trees and mud. They are nature’s lumberjacks, cutting down trees with their teeth. The beaver looks at the world every morning, takes a deep breath, and thinks, “I can fix this.” If you believe in a better world with more justice, and sacrifice for it because “it’s the right thing to do” you might have nature’s chainsaw; beaver teeth.
Curiosity, the Octopus (Explore, Analyze, Discuss). With eight arms to explore and giant eyes to observe, the octopus might be the weirdest creature on earth. Or should I say, the most curious? Octopus are expert escape artists that get through any opening that fits their hard beak, and they can solve tricky puzzles and mazes to get food. They also have a brain for each tentacle, giving them nine brains running simultaneously, with blue blood pumping through their three hearts. What is the octopus thinking about? Who knows? But an octopus is undoubtedly thinking. If your curiosities require all your limbs, maybe you really have tentacles.
Order, the Bee Hive (Organize, Plan, Clean). A bee hive might look like chaos up close, but take a step back, and it will amaze you how organized everything is. There is a clear hierarchy set up, tasks assigned, and an orderly area constructed. Do any other creatures create a world using geometric figures like a beehive’s hexagons? The symbol of hard work and industry, someone has got to organize it all. If you love taming chaos, you might be comfortable in a beehive.
Note: Desires seventeen and eighteen are NOT officially part of the desires list because they lack the depth of the previous sixteen. They cannot motivate as deeply as the desires above. But that does not mean they are unimportant or rare. You will often encounter them, and I think they are valuable to understand. They may be very important to you, too.
Humor, the Parrot
Parrots are nature’s stand-up comedians. They can mimic almost any sound they hear, including human speech. They tell jokes, swear, and have whole routines to entertain crowds. Much like their human comic counterparts, parrots can have self-destructive behaviors. For parrots, it involves feather-pulling if we bore them for prolonged periods. But what is comedy without tragedy? If making others laugh and a sense of humor is paramount, you probably have some parrot feathers.
Territoriality, the Bear
While scientists say bears are not fully territorial because they permit others into their domain, there is one thing hikers and backpackers know; If you are in the backcountry, you are in bear country. What other animal gets its own country? A lion might be the king of animals, but if you find yourself in a forest with bear prints, it’s time to be extra careful. And if you keep an extra watchful eye over your area of influence, check if you leave bear paw prints.
Daniel N. Blair 